1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shelf connector, and in particular to a shelf connector capable of mounting on a shelf.
2. Description of Prior Art
In daily life, a shelf constituted of brackets, hangers or supports has been widely used. However, due to the different specifications of various kinds of shelves, it is inconvenient to connect with each other and the assembling of the total structure is very complicated. In view of the above problems, China Patent Publication No. CN2503777Y discloses a shelf connector comprising a supporting rod, a connector and a net bracket. The supporting rod is axially provided with several positioning grooves at identical intervals. The connector is formed of two arc pieces. Both sides of the two arc pieces are provided with male and female engaging members, respectively, so as to form a cone after engaging with each other. The cone has a mouth portion tapering from bottom to top. The interior of the cone mates with the positioning grooves on the supporting rods, and its outside mates with the conical wall within the sleeve of the net bracket.
With the above structure, although the height between two shelves can be adjusted according to the conditions in use, the disassembling and assembling procedures are very troublesome. First, the sleeve of the net bracket and the connector should be separated. Next, the connector is disassembled into two portions. Then, these two portions are moved to another position to lock with the supporting rod. Finally, with the insertion of the sleeve, the assembling procedure is finished. In order to guarantee the stability of the shelf in use, it is necessary for the connector to tightly mate with the positioning elements via the sleeve.
In view of the above problem, China Patent Publication No. CN2608739Y discloses an improved shelf connector comprising a fixing sleeve, a clamping sleeve and a positioning sleeve. The positioning sleeve is a cone which can be opened and closed and are formed of two semi-arc bodies. The inner surface of the positioning sleeve is provided with projecting ribs, and the periphery of its bottom is provided with flanges having notches. On one side of the notch, the bottom of the flange is provided with steps. The clamping sleeve and the positioning sleeve are assembled with each other. The hook thereof is inserted into the positioning sleeve and rotates to engage with the stepped flanges of the positioning sleeve. The fixing sleeve is assembled to the outside the clamping sleeve.
However, the above structure still has the drawbacks as follows: (1) Since the net bracket and the sleeve are integrally connected, the assembling of multiple layers of shelves is restricted. That is, the shelves on both ends of the shelf pillar are easy to be dissembled whereas the shelves in the middle are not easy to assemble or dissemble; (2) Since the connection relies on the locking of conical surfaces, the supporting pillars and the shelf connectors are assembled more tightly due to the gravity after using a period of time. Therefore, it is very difficult to detach the fixing sleeve from the fixing sleeve; (3) The manufacturing of the connector formed of the fixing sleeve and the clamping sleeve is more complicated, resulting in the rise of the manufacture cost of the shelf.